NEWS

The Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand Code of Practice for the design and operation of Farm Dairies has new milk cooling standards that come into effect in 2018.

The following changes will be introduced progressively from 1 August 2016 through to 1 January 2018:•Milk must be cooled to 10°C or below within 4 hours of the commencement of milking.• Milk must be cooled to 6°C or below within 6 hours of the commencement of milking and within 2 hours of the completion of milking.•Milk must be held at or below 6°C until collection or the next milking•The milk must not exceed 10°C during subsequent milking’s (Dairy NZ, 2017).

Milk cooling affects milk quality. The quicker the milk is cooled after milking, the better the quality when it is collected from the farm.

If you need any advice or help with meeting these new regulations, please don't hesitate to give us a call.